Mexican Grilled Beef

Most cultures have a barbecued street food, a dish that’s simultaneously nutritional, varied, and filling enough to serve as a full meal. Mexico’s version is carne asada—literally grilled meat—and as elsewhere on Planet Barbecue, the simple name doesn’t begin to do the dish justice.

Carne asada starts with, no surprise here, a thin, cheap, flavorful cut of beef from the steer’s underbelly or loin. Some grill masters marinate the meat in chiles, oregano, or lime juice;